The National Counties, known as the Minor Counties before 2020, are the cricketing counties of England and Wales that do not have first-class status. The game is administered by the National Counties Cricket Association (NCCA), which comes under the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB). There are currently twenty teams in National Counties cricket: nineteen representing historic counties of England, plus the Wales National County Cricket Club.
Matthew James Hoggard, is a former English cricketer, who played international cricket for England cricket team from 2000 to 2008, playing both Test cricket and One Day Internationals. The 6' 2" Hoggard was a right arm fast-medium bowler and right-handed batsman.
Essex County Cricket Club is one of eighteen first-class county clubs within the domestic cricket structure of England and Wales. It represents the historic county of Essex. Founded in 1876, the club had minor county status until 1894 when it was promoted to first-class status pending its entry into the County Championship in 1895, since then the team has played in every top-level domestic cricket competition in England. Essex currently play all their home games at the County Cricket Ground, Chelmsford. The club has formerly used other venues throughout the county including Lower Castle Park in Colchester, Valentines Park in Ilford, Leyton Cricket Ground, the Gidea Park Sports Ground in Romford, and Garon Park and Southchurch Park, both in Southend. Its limited overs team is called the Essex Eagles.
Leicestershire County Cricket Club is one of eighteen first-class county clubs within the domestic cricket structure of England and Wales. It represents the historic county of Leicestershire. It has also been representative of the county of Rutland. The club's limited overs team is called the Leicestershire Foxes. Founded in 1879, the club had minor county status until 1894 when it was promoted to first-class status pending its entry into the County Championship in 1895. Since then, Leicestershire have played in every top-level domestic cricket competition in England.
The 2005 English cricket season was the 106th in which the County Championship had been an official competition. Before it began, a resurgent England cricket team had won four Test series in a row, going unbeaten through the 2004 calendar year. The start of the international season saw England defeat Bangladesh 2–0 in their two-match series, winning both Tests by an innings. This was followed by a tri-nations one-day tournament that also featured Australia. Australia still started the Test series as favourites but most fans expected England to put up a challenge.
Derbyshire County Cricket Club in 2005 was the cricket season when the English club Derbyshire had been playing for one hundred and thirty-five years. They reached the semi-final in the Cheltenham and Gloucester Trophy. In the County Championship, they finished ninth in the second division and in the National League, they finished sixth in the second division. They were eliminated at group level in the North section of the Twenty20 Cup.
Jacobus Andries "Jacques" Rudolph is a former South African cricketer who played for Glamorgan and in South Africa with Titans.
Paul Andrew Nixon is an English cricket coach and former professional cricketer who played for Leicestershire, England, England A, Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC) and Kent. He is a wicket-keeper and left-handed batsman. Nixon played in twenty international matches for the England cricket team, all within a four-month spell in 2007.
The 2006 English cricket season was the 107th in which the County Championship had been an official competition. It included home international series for England against Sri Lanka and Pakistan. England came off a winter with more Test losses than wins, for the first time since 2002-03, but still attained their best series result in India since 1985. The One Day International series against Pakistan and India both ended in losses.
The Second XI Championship is a season-long cricket competition in England that is competed for by the reserve teams of those county cricket clubs that have first-class status. The competition started in 1959 and has been contested annually ever since.
Steven Kirby is an English retired first-class cricketer, and more recently a cricket coach. Kirby played for Yorkshire, Gloucestershire and Somerset, before retiring from playing in 2014. In 2020, he rejoined Somerset as their bowling coach.
Horace Rudston was an English first-class cricketer, who played twenty one games for Yorkshire County Cricket Club between 1902 and 1907, and one match for the North of England in 1905. He also played for the Yorkshire Second XI (1900-1910), Yorkshire Colts (1900-1902) and Yorkshire Cricket Council (1903).
Timothy Edward Linley is a former English cricketer who played primarily for Surrey. He was a right-handed batsman and a right-arm medium-fast bowler. He was born in Horsforth, Leeds, where he played cricket for Horsforth Cricket Club.
Paul James Horton is a retired former cricketer who played for Lancashire and Leicestershire in England and Matabeleland Tuskers in Zimbabwe.
James Horsley was an English cricketer who played first-class cricket for Nottinghamshire in 1913 and for Derbyshire from 1914 to 1925
David Burton is a first-class cricketer, who has played county cricket for Gloucesteshire, Middlesex and Northamptonshire.
Jack David Shantry is a former English cricketer who played county cricket for Worcestershire. He is now an umpire.
Frank Henry Vigar was an English cricketer who played first-class cricket for Essex County Cricket Club between 1938 and 1954. A right-handed batsman, and leg break bowler, Vigar served as an all-rounder with 8,858 runs at 26.28 and 241 wickets at 37.90. From his rained-off debut in 1938, Vigar went on to play 257 matches for his county. His greatest success came in the "golden summer" of 1947, where he scored 1,735 runs and took 64 wickets. A partnership with Peter Smith of 218 for the final wicket remains an Essex record.
Derbyshire County Cricket Club in 2007 was the cricket season when the English club Derbyshire had been playing for one hundred and thirty-six years. In the County Championship, they finished sixth in the second division. In the Pro40 league, they finished eighth in the second division. They were eliminated at group level in the Friends Provident Trophy and came eighth in the North section of the Twenty20 Cup.
Alexandra Louise MacDonald is an English cricketer who currently plays for Lincolnshire. An all-rounder, she is a left-handed batter and right-arm medium bowler. She previously played for Gloucestershire, Staffordshire, Yorkshire, North Representative XI and Northern Diamonds.
